Twitter Emerges as a Digital Marketing Tool

According to Twitter’s website, ‘Twitter is an information network that brings people closer to what’s important to them”. The company was started by Biz Stone and Evan Williams . The idea behind the business was to create podcasts, but very quickly it turned into more of social networking system we know today. Any user, whether individual using for personal purposes, or business can send out ‘tweets’ or short messages about any topic. Anyone who chooses to follow the user will have access to read all the ‘tweets’ from that user. Business can also ‘tweet’ on Twitter about their products. Not only can Twitter be used for marketing , but it can also be a tool for gathering marketing information through ‘listening’ to others who are ‘tweeting’ about the business, competition or the industry in general.

Key Marketing Issues

* Using Twitter marketing just to use it – Many companies are aware of the need to evolve its marketing strategies as the technology and social media evolve. Not all companies, though, understand how to use these social networking sites to really market their products. Companies need to ‘listen’ first and then implement a Twitter strategy. By ‘listening’, or paying attention to their consumers who are ‘tweeting’ or other companies in their respective industries, companies can develop better marketing strategies for using Twitter to their advantage.
* Listening to one negative comment versus gathering enough data – Companies who use Twitter as part of their marketing strategy should be ready to receive feedback from their consumers – both positive and negative. Companies shouldn’t be too quick to listen to one or a few bad reviews or comments and change their products completely. Understanding the market and gathering appropriate marketing data...